1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
Big Companies Oppose Small Coach Operator
Page 71
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Continental Tours "Not to be Embarked Upon Lightly," Says Mr. Hodgson When Refusing New Licence
THE contention that a wide catchment area was needed for Continental tour operation was again upheld by the East Midland Traffic Commissioners; at Lincoln, last week, when Sheffield United Tours, Ltd., and Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., opposed an application by Mr. Peter Sheffield, Cleethorpes, for a new Continental excursion and tour licence from Cleethorpes to Dover or Folkestone.
Mr. G. Lane, for the applicant, said that a modest licence for three Continental tours per year was sought. Mr. Sheffield, who started operations in 1952 with one coach, now had nine. Seven of them were modern 41-seaters. His operations had been confined to private parties, but as most organizations were unable to raise parties for the Continent which exceeded 25 in number, it was necessary to advertise.
There was no direct licensed service from Cleethorpes and a grant to Mr. Sheffield would meet an urgent public need. The set tours of the objectors. starting from Leeds, London and Sheffield, required an additional over night stay.
Not One Extra
The applicant was catering for people of limited means who wanted a direct service, and a refusal would not put one extra passenger on the objectors' coaches. Indeed, a grant would cut out one vehicle for British tours.
Questioned by Mr. A. C. G. Rothera. for S.U.T. and Granville Tours, Grimsby, Mr. Sheffield agreed that he did not hold any road service licences. On several occasions arrangements for parties to the Continent had fallen through because the coaches could not be filled, he said.
Mr. T. E. Crewe, assistant traffic manager, S.U.T., said that his company were pioneers of Continental tours from England. They had held licences since 1930, and their claim to cater for Lincolnshire passengers had been upheld by the Traffic Commissioners on numerous occasions.
Monopoly Denied Cross-examined by Mr. Lane, Mr. Crewe denied that S.U.T. sought a monopoly in Lincolnshire. It was coincidental that an unopposed application by S.U.T., for a feeder service between Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe, was made a week after Mr. Sheffield's application, he claimed.
Mr. F. Brumfield, traffic superintendent, Granville Tours, Grimsby, said that they could not get sufficient evidence to continue with their own Continental application, in January, and therefore came to agreement with the objectors. He agreed that they had never operated to the Continent although their notepaper advertised such tours.
Mr. C. R. Hodgson, chairman, observed that this was very misleading, and suggested that they delete it.
When it was appreciated that there was a demand for Continental travel from the
area, S.U.T., Wallace Arnold, Lincoln shire Road Car Co., Ltd., and the local operators, Granville Tours, came to an agreement for a licensed feeder service. said Mr. Rothera. Passengers from Clcethorpes and Grimsby would in future have all their needs met and the ipplication should be refused.
Mr. Lane submitted that there was Jmple evidence of need and it was not in the public interest that passengers should be diverted, against their will, to S.U.T. Granville Tours had dropped their application when given the chance of operating the feeder service, and Wallace Arnold had nothing nearer than Goole. S.U.T., with 518 operations a year, were adopting a "dog in the manger" attitude in opposing an application for only three operations a year from Cleethorpes.
Refusing the application, Mr. Hodgson ;aid that Continental tour operations were not to be embarked upon lightly. The supporting evidence was for the " local man" and although the application was modest the Commissioners must work on principles. The arrangements for a feeder service made it clear that even the filling of three coaches would represent potential abstraction.